Masks That We Wear
by Sagittarian's Bow
Summary: The war is over...or is it? - "She was just Ginny. The youngest of seven. A Weasley. Poor. A pureblooded bloodtraitor. Defined by her family, but never for being herself. She wanted people to look at her like she was special. She wanted power."
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Darkness can be extinguished yet never truly purged, and such was the lingering misery in the hearts of many. Gloom surrounded the world as the Dark Lord rose to power, his evil spreading, seeping through the cracks of light and slowly engulfing it all in darkness and fear. And then he was gone. Destroyed by their savior, the glorious Boy-Who-Lived. She had been happy once, but that happiness was replaced by sorrow throughout the rest of her young life. Her brief moments of happiness had been stolen from her by him. No, not the Dark Lord, but by Harry Potter himself.

She sat upon the bathroom floor of the Burrow as fresh tears began to stream down her pale cheeks. Her body winced in pain and she grasped onto her wrist tightly with her left hand, bringing her arm up to her chest. Crimson blood trickled down her arm ever so slowly. The pain was sharp, but it was tolerable, it was not the reason for her tears. Stray strands of her auburn hair clung to her damp cheeks as a faint grin stretched across her trembling lips. Who knew such little pain, from one tiny blade, could ease so much of her torment? It was the sweetest bliss her lonely soul could find.

The silent calm was broken as a few loud bangs came from behind the door, causing her to jump slightly, her green eyes narrowing in anger, "What?!" she bellowed in response.

"You've been in there for 30 minutes, Gin! Open up already!" called her brother's voice, muffled by the thick wood.

_I hate that name._

She grunted and released her arm, pulling her sleeve down to cover the small wound she'd inflicted upon herself. She transfigured her blade back into a hand mirror and placed it onto the counter before ripping the door open and pushing passed her brother, hurrying on down the hall.

"Ginny? What's wrong with you?" he asked, calling after her just before she slammed her bedroom door shut.

"Stupid brothers. Stupid Ron. Stupid family. Stupid bloody house!" she mumbled bitterly, crossing her room and slumping into the window seat.

Her room was dimly lit, the light from the lamp on her nightstand barely shone onto her from where she sat. Her dark, empty eyes gazed out into the night through the paned glass. They locked onto the full moon lighting the sky above the forest.

_Only one more day until school. Fan-bloody-tastic._


	2. Hide and Seek

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of this, I'm not even remotely as talented as J.K. Rowling. I simply choose to manipulate her world and characters to my heart's content. =3

Hello, readers. Be warned, this is my first Harry Potter fic. I've started a few others that I've either come close to finishing, or have been neglecting for a very long time. Those, however, were anime, and this isn't. This is very different from what I'm used to, but I really wanted to give it a shot. Dunno where the plot is heading 'cause I hate planning things out, it makes me lose interest in writing them. So bear with me here, I'm making it work to my best ability.

FYI, I'm pretty sure Ginny's eyes are brown in the series, but I've changed those as well...because I can and I like it that way. xD

Also, on one last little note, I've tried to find a song for each chapter that fits the theme or the mood for said chapter. Lovely chapter one has a lot going on, so it was hard to find a song in my library that sums things up. I think I've got one that works. Give it a listen if you don't know it (or look up the lyrics on Google), and if you know it already then kudos for you. =3

Musical Inspiration: "Lonely Girl" - Pink

**Chapter One**** - Hide and Seek**

No one knew, they never had the slightest idea that anything was wrong. She was just too good an actress. She'd spent five long years in Hogwarts wearing a mask. She was just Ginny. Normal little Ginny with nothing special to offer. The youngest of seven. A Weasley. Poor. A pureblooded bloodtraitor. Defined by her family, but never for being herself. She wore her mask of deceit, a happy face to keep everyone unaware and at a safe distance. The last thing she wanted was them, the infamous "Golden Trio", to worry about poor, innocent, little Ginny Weasley. They were destined for greatness and kept it to themselves, selfishly hogging any and all glory to be had. Especially Harry. He was so prone to helping others that it was almost sickening. She wanted people to look at her like she was something special, the way they all looked at their precious Chosen One, the poor Boy-Who-Lived, the bloody freakin' fabulous Harry Potter.

Ginny boarded the train in silence, alone, like she normally did. She followed behind the trio, stopping quickly as they entered a compartment at the front of the Hogwarts Express. She rushed passed their window as soon as the door was closed, praying to Merlin that she hadn't been seen. She simply could not deal with riding in the same compartment as them for the entire trip. She would go mad. Today marked the beginning of her sixth year, the final year of the precious Golden Trio. Voldemort was gone, but no one bothered to discuss any of the important details with her. No, she was too insignificant for that. All she knew was what she saw in the headlines of the _Daily Prophet _her father carried on him almost at all times. She knew the Dark Lord had fallen in a final battle against Harry, shortly after school ended. He had still been sixteen at the time, yet somehow managed to walk away with only a few scrapes and bruises. Her family took him in after that, as he really had no need to spend the remainder of the summer with his own family in Privet Drive. He no longer needed magical protection seeing as how the Dark Lord was already gone. That had been her final undoing. She could hardly even produce her empty shell of a smile to appease her family anymore. They all fawned over Harry like he was Merlin himself. It made her sick. She couldn't escape even in her own home.

She was in an empty compartment aboard the train, lost in her thoughts. Her green eyes gazed distantly out of the window, admiring the grey wisps of clouds in the already darkening sky. The compartment door slid open and a tall figure entered, sitting opposite her expectantly. She knew who it was; she didn't need to look in his direction to know it was him. Her blood would boil in rage whenever he was near her. He cleared his throat, hoping to catch her attention, "Gin?" _I __hate__ that name._ "Can I talk to you?" _No._

After a few moments of silence, she finally flicked her emerald eyes over to the man across from her, "What do you want, Harry?" She knew he'd never leave if she kept ignoring him.

He seemed almost startled when she spoke. Her voice, much like her eyes, felt cold and distant, lacking the brilliant spark they once held. She noticed him flinch under her stare, as though he'd never noticed how empty she really was. She averted her eyes to her lap instead, briefly lingering over the spot on her arm where her newest cut was. A tiny smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was upset, then he'd try and fix her, like she was broken, thinking he could understand what she was going through. He was just so irritating. She sighed inwardly, putting on her best fake happy face before meeting his eyes again, "Sorry about that, Harry." _No, I'm not._ "I was on another planet for a while." _No, I wasn't._ "Did you want something?" _Please, just go away._ She smiled innocently and tilted her head a bit to the left. It was foolproof. She knew exactly how to act towards all the people in her life. She could get away with murder and they wouldn't even cast a second glance her way.

He still remained silent, as if he was stunned, "Harry?" she asked, a faint teasing edge to her soft voice.

He seemed to snap out of his little reverie. Blushing awkwardly, he scratched at the back of his head, "Uhm…w-well, I know I said a lot at the end of the school year, about how we couldn't be together because it was too dangerous. But…well…yeah, obviously things are different now."

_That's an understatement._ "What are you getting at?"

"Um…well, I wanted to know what your expectations were. About us, I mean."

Her eyebrows rose questioningly, "Why?"

"Well, before, it was like we had no choice but to be together, because time was running out. I didn't want it to be like that," _Liar._ "but that's just how it was. I don't want to rush into things like that again. I'm barely seventeen, there's no reason to rush, I've got a whole life ahead of me." _And I don't?_

She sighed and held up her hands, "Look, Harry, just stop. I get it." _I'm not stupid._

"You do?" he asked, his eyes glinting. _Duh__!_

"Yes. You don't want to go out with me again." _Not like I care._ "You'd rather live your life to the fullest now that the Dark Lord's six feet under."

He grinned cheerily and moved to sit beside her, hugging her small frame tightly. Reluctantly, she too wrapped her arms around him, grimacing into his shoulder.

"I knew you'd understand." he mumbled into her crimson hair. _Whatever._ She pulled away, untangling herself from his arms, and got to her feet, "Where're you going, Gin?" _Don't call me that!_

She rolled her eyes, turned away from him as she opened the door to leave. _Away from you, obviously._ "I need to use the loo." she lied, "I'll be right back," another lie. She had no intention of returning until she needed to fetch her trunk.

It really wasn't hard to find another vacant compartment. Their side had suffered many causalities during the war, many of them students just like herself. A good majority of the wizarding population packed up and left as soon as trouble started, taking their families with them. Now, she guessed Hogwarts had decreased by about half.

She wandered towards the back of the train, in the complete opposite direction of the loo, hoping to get as far away from Harry as possible. He was angry, no doubt, that she'd left so suddenly. He probably had more he wanted to tell her. _I couldn't care less._ She snorted bitterly and entered the nearest vacant compartment in sight, lest Wonderboy peak his head out and see her walking farther away. She closed the door and yanked the blind down over the window, slumping onto one of the seats and laying her head back to rest her weary eyes. _Finally, solitude…_

**Click!**

_Damn him!_

Opening her mouth to come up with an excuse as to her new whereabouts, she stopped suddenly, not recognizing the person at the door. Her eyes were still closed, and she could tell it most definitely was not Harry as her blood didn't boil. The presence was still male, but much calmer than Harry's, and the breeze that wafted into the compartment had an unfamiliar scent.

"Weaslette?" came a smooth voice, slick and cold as ice. This she recognized. That voice paired with the typical nickname depicting her as the only female Weasley.

She opened her eyes at this and found his watching her closely, a piercing blue that were usually narrowed at her brother in anger, "Malfoy?" He looked the same as always, though older and less smug. No doubt a side effect of the war. It changed people drastically, some more than others, some not at all.

"What, pray tell, are you doing in my compartment?" he asked carefully, his tone not as harsh as she remembered it to be.

"Your compartment?" her eyes flew to the luggage rack, spotting a black trunk with DM ornately inscribed upon it in silver. His trunk alone cost more than her father made in a year. _Crud. I hadn't noticed that._ Her mouth fell into an "o" and she looked back at the male who had sat on the bench across from her, directly beneath his overly-expensive school trunk. His brows rose up his forehead, almost reaching his platinum blonde hair. "Sorry," she muttered, looking out the window instead, studying the trees that blurred by in the darkness, "I hadn't noticed it was taken."

"And now that you have?" he asked, seemingly amused at her mistake.

"I'm not going anywhere." she told him, determined.

"Why is that? I highly doubt you enjoy my company, seeing as how you find the unfocused trees to be more interesting at the moment." he pointed out.

She shrugged, not wanting to tell him, thought she knew he would simply keep questioning her or even throw her out if she kept silent, "I'm," she began quietly, "…kind of, just…hiding." _I shouldn't have told him that! Any lie would've been better!_

"Hiding from Potter?"

Her eyes snapped back to Malfoy's instantly, silently questioning him. _Was it that obvious?_

He appeared to understand her nonverbal question, "Seemed as though he'd lost something. He's wandering from compartment to compartment."

_Double crud._

She averted her eyes back to the window only to have him block her view with his body as he sat beside her. Watching her smugly, "What has the wondrous Boy-Who-Lived done that would make the young Weaslette want to hide out with a Malfoy, I wonder?" At that she heard the door click open. Misery spread through her like a virus; she'd been found, she was trapped. Without having time to think, her brain leapt into action to calculate her options, found the lesser of two evils, and instantly she crushed her lips up against Malfoy's. Her arms flew around his neck to yank him down to her eye level. His eyes had been on the door and caught the briefest glimpse of Harry before he felt her mouth crash into his, he leaned down and slightly against her when she pulled, his crystal blue eyes watching hers which appeared to be pleading with him to just go with it. He knew precisely what she was doing and smirked, one arm swiftly circling her slender waist, pulling her body tightly against his chest. His other hand quickly became lost in her thick red locks. Needless to say she was surprised he'd caught on so quickly, but she was even more surprised that he went along with it. She was grateful, nevertheless. It had to look convincing, and they were both certain they accomplished that. When the door was open completely, she felt Harry tense up as he noticed them in the corner.

What she wouldn't give to watch his reaction, the look on Harry's face would no doubt be priceless after walking in on his ex-girlfriend and arch enemy snogging each other senseless. The said pair pulled their faces apart but their hands remained on each other as they both looked over at Harry, standing bolt upright in the doorway with his mouth agape and his hands clenched in anger at his sides. Slowly, Malfoy released the redhead who was practically in his lap and moved to get up, allowing Ginny's arms to fall back to her sides. Malfoy approached Harry, his hand grasping onto the door's handle.

"Good_bye_, Potter." he said with arrogance dripping from his silky voice. He slid the door closed right in Harry's face and flicked his wand at it to make it lock this time. Malfoy tucked his wand back into his robes and took his seat beside Ginny again. They both remained perfectly silent until they heard a reluctant Harry shuffle away from the door.

Ginny tried to keep it down but failed and suddenly burst into laughter, throwing her head back and clutching at her stomach, "Oh, Merlin! Did you see his face? That was just too perfect!" she exclaimed, succumbing into fits of laughter again.

Malfoy watched her with amusement, "So, what exactly did Potter do to deserve that little show? Not that I'm complaining. Anything I can do to make Potter's life hell is worth partaking in."

Ginny turned to face him, her back up against the wall with her feet up in front of herself on the seat. Normally she wouldn't tell people the truth, but she felt as though he deserved at least part of it considering she'd practically jumped him as a split-second decision.

"He won't leave me alone," she began, "it's frustrating. I hate him so much that I almost wish he'd died in the final battle instead of the Dark Lord."

"Who so much hostility towards your precious boyfriend?"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend. Not anymore." she corrected, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Is that the cause, then?"

"Far from it. I couldn't be happier that he left me. Even now he still doesn't want me. He'd rather sleep around with random girls before settling down. The prat probably thinks I'll be here waiting with open arms. Ha! Fat chance in hell."

A melodious chuckle escaped him as she sat there insulting the Boy-Who-Lived-Again. Her eyes narrowed at him slightly, "I'm not bitter about the break-up. It's just infuriating how people think so little of me. 'Oh, it's just sweet little Ginny, she'll always be there when I'm done with my affairs.' I hate him. There doesn't exist a word strong enough to describe how much I detest that stupid git. I only agreed to date him because I thought I'd be nice before he died. I'd give him a chance to redeem himself, which he didn't. My family utterly adores him, practically worships him. They'd think I was crazy if I had turned down their precious Chosen One. They all assumed I was still in love with him, though I never was in the first place. I don't have any real friends, either. People only hung around with me to get closer to Harry. That, or some stupid prat of a hormonal male wanted to get in my pants, as though dating Harry made me easy like all the other girls who fawned over him."

"You know," hr drawled smoothly, "using me to scare off Potter was very clever, very sneaky…very Slytherin of you, Weaslette."

She hadn't thought of it that way, ever. Slytherin and herself had never seemed to hold a connection. She'd been placed in Gryffindor just as her entire family had been before her, it was only natural that she expect and accept it so easily. Perhaps she'd fooled even the Sorting Hat, like she'd fooled everyone else. She was far from happy in Gryffindor, it caused more problems than it solved. No one ever noticed little Ginny in the background while the Golden Trio stood out and took all the attention. That is what made her bitter. Her entire family liked Harry better than her, treated Harry better than her, and thus treated Ron and Hermione better than her because they were so close to him and always managed to save his neck.

"If you want revenge so badly," he grinned, "then I'd be more than glad to help a fellow Slytherin. Tormenting Potter will simply be the cherry on top."

_Sounds perfect…_

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**Read & Review! I need encouragement if I'm going to keep updating. =3**


	3. Resolution

So I've had this one written for a while, but haven't had time to type it up. There's at least another chapter or two just like that, sitting all scribbled out in my notebook. I _swear_ I'll get it up soon. Yays for Thanksgiving break giving me some time to breathe and make you all happy again. ^-^;;

**Musical Inspiration:** "It Ends Tonight" - All-American Rejects

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She glared into the mirror, one hand on either side of the sink, blood dripping into the ivory basin beneath her palm. Her eyes were narrowed in disgust, her pale skin gave her the appearance of a ghost in the dim light, her red hair a sharp contrast with her other features. Freckles spread across her nose and over her cheeks. Red hair, blazing like flames. She stuck out like a sore thumb in any crowd. How she loathed her Weasley traits - the only things she'd ever be noticed for.

Dark circles lay beneath her menacing green eyes. Sleep hadn't been an ally of hers over the last couple of months. Since the Dark Lord fell, her dreams - her one place of solitude - had been overrun with images of an old, worn book - a diary, Tom's diary. She'd had no idea why, and remained utterly clueless. Her one guess, however unlikely, linked her subconscious thoughts to the Dark Lord because of their bond. She'd only ever had one experience with him and that one experience alone had been more personal, more profound, more life-altering than the handful even Harry had, It made her feel special at the time, as a first year, having had such a powerful and mysterious friend and ally. Tom, though merely a memory, had understood her, admired her, made her feel significant. When Harry took that away from her she'd been left entirely alone. Since that day, nearly five years ago, she was always alone. No one understood her. How could they while they all stood there thinking they knew her?

The night that she'd heard the Dark Lord had fallen, and every night since then, her dreams were haunted by Tom's diary, ruined forever, the basilisk venom stained across its blank pages. Except, in her dream, the pages were no longer blank, but filled with writing. The pages turned exceedingly fast as if blown by a breeze. Ink was scratched across the turning pages but it was impossible to read as the pages continued to turn. She could never see the end of the diary; she always woke up before the breeze reached the end of the book.

Her emerald eyes darted down to the cut across her palm as she held it up to examine. It stung like something wicked, but it was bearable. She could control it. She could not, however, control her life. It was being molded into what her parents thought it should be, to what her siblings thought it should be, to what the Ministry thought it should be. She was utterly sick of it. She wanted to make all her own choices, consequences be dammed. She wanted praise. She wanted glory. She wanted power. To be unique, special, different from her housemates, her friends, her family.

_Damn the consequences!_

She scooped up her robe and book bag and headed down to the Great Hall, already in her uniform, to wait. She wouldn't go to her classes today. School had been in progress for almost a week and she'd avoided Harry far easier than she thought imaginable. At first she was concerned he would rat her out to Ron and Hermione about her little rendezvous with Malfoy. She was shocked when the fourth day passed by and still no one had confronted her about her exploits. Now, it was beginning to irritate her.

_How insignificant __am__ I?_

She was going to change that if it bloody well killed her. Ginny didn't even have to go far, only having reached the bottom step outside the Great Hall before spotting her target. There he was, the "Slytherin God" and all his platinum blond glory. She jogged a bit to catch up with him before he slithered off too far into the dark passageways. "Oi! Malfoy!" she called, her bitter voice echoing off the stone walls as the hall was relatively vacant in the early morning hour.

He came to a stop and peered over his shoulder, raising a brow questioningly at the red head as she stood beside him, a faint gleam in her eyes.

"Weaslette," he nodded to her, "Somehow, I never pictured you as a morning person."

"I'm not. I just…I don't sleep well." she mumbled.

_Why did I tell him that…?_

"I see. And you decided to bless me with your sleep deprivated presence because…?" he sounded genuinely curious.

"Well, you said be willing to help a fellow 'Slytherin'. I've come to take you up on that offer." she declared.

He nodded in understanding and leaned casually against the wall, "I'm listening."

She sucked in a deep breath, pushing out all of her nerves as she exhaled, "I want to change. Well…my reputation, that is. I don't want to be little Ginerva Weasley, Ron's sister, Potter's ex, a poor, dirty, bloodtraitor. That…" she explained, "That isn't who I am. That is just what people think I am, if they even regard me at all. I want my outsides to match the interior. Understand? I…I'm much darker than what people perceive. You have connections; you're wealthy, powerful, and well respected. You have everything I crave." She confessed openly, "I never want to be known as Weaslette again."

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**A/N:** Honestly, I'm working on the next one! R&R please! PLEASE! T_T


	4. Confessions

I committed myself to getting another chapter in tonight. And I succeeded. Except now I'm dead tired, my neck is killing me, and my fingers are numb from the cold. Yay for freezing nights in dorm rooms with little heat. Oh well, I felt I owed you another one so I typed this up in a hurry. And if you're all extra good, I'll hurry to type up the next chapter. (It's got some steamy goodness smushed into it for viewer enjoyment. Unless, of course, you aren't a Draco/Ginny fan. In which case…cover your eyes. xD )

**Musical Inspiration:** "Oh Star" - Paramore

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"Alright, Ginerva, what's the key ingredient to making Veritaserum?" Malfoy asked casually, followed by silence. "Ginerva, are you even paying attention?" More silence. He grumbled, got to his feet, strode across the room and stopped at his bed were the redhead lay on her back, her hair dangling to the floor and her emerald eyes glued to the ceiling. He towered over her, his irritation apparent on his pale face as he waved a large hand in front of her. She blinked, redirecting her gaze to his icy blue eyes.

"Sorry, did you say something?" she asked obliviously.

He growled again and narrowed his cold stare, "Honestly, Ginerva-"

"Ginny," she corrected.

"Fine. _Ginny_, then." his voice was dangerously low, "why the bloody hell would you ask for my help and then ignore me entirely when I give you just that?! I refuse to waste my time!"

She narrowed her eyes back at him, "Sorry, but studying from a Potions book isn't exactly what I had in mind. Being a bookworm isn't the kind of change I'm looking for."

"You want power? Well the only way to get it is to learn, practice, and study. If you want respect as an individual then you need power. It's a cycle, Ginny. If you want your aspirations to become reality then you have to start at the bottom and work for it. It is the only way." he explained, his voice stern.

She remained quiet for a minute, letting his words fully sink in. Eventually, she sighed and sat up, turning to face him, her red locks pooling around her face. "Fine," she began, "I'll try harder. I know my marks need improvement. Everyone always writ me off as an unintelligent waste of space because of my family, I gave up trying. I suppose I'll have to actually give it some effort now. You're right…no one can possibly respect a moron."

He nodded and flipped open the sixth year Potions book, handing it to her while fighting back a smirk, "Potions is challenging but with proper dedication it could save your life one day. Knowing antidotes and such by heart is a key to survival. Dark wizards do like to poison their rivals every now and then. If you do gain the respect you're after, you will also no doubt have many enemies."

"Like the Dark Lord?" she asked, "He had many loyal followers, but just as many enemies."

He didn't respond right away. He simply sat there and observed the girl in front of him. He analyzed her statement from every angle. She hadn't sounded bitter, angry, or even cheerful as most did when they brought up Lord Voldemort, now that he was gone. It was as though she were merely discussing the weather, like talking about him was easy. "Yes," he replied slowly, "just like that. But, of course, you won't be a Dark witch, so the odds of being poisoned are stacked against you. Good witches and wizards hardly resort to poison; they feel they're too noble to resort to such a simple solution."

Ginny nodded, her green eyes flickering down to his black silk blanket, she considered remaining silent but felt she owed him the truth, at the very least. Or part of it. "I'm not afraid of Dark magic, Draco." She had never said his name before, it felt strange, more intimate, but she liked the way it rolled off her tongue. "I was exposed to it as a child, and I accepted it. I…I liked it, though I know I shouldn't have. It made me feel safe. I knew it made me unique." she shrugged.

He was surprised by the turn their conversation was taking, but he didn't let it show, "The diary?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes flew up to meet his, she spoke slowly, "Yes. I don't care what Harry or Dumbledore or anyone else said. I know Tom wasn't going to kill me. Our minds were connected, his thoughts were mine and mine were his. I knew who he was from the beginning, I knew his plans, but I wasn't afraid. I wasn't being used. I _wanted_ to help him."

Her confession had Draco's mind reeling. "You knew he was the Dark Lord and still wanted to help?" he asked, surprised, but impressed nevertheless, "Didn't you almost die from that connection?"

She smiled nervously, her eyes glittering as she shared her deepest darkest secret about the happiest time in her young life, "He never intended to kill me. Tom just wanted to use some of my power to create a physical form for himself. Afterwards he could have regenerated his own magical energy and would have broken our connection, but Harry found us before Tom could finish creating his body. He was running out of time. I told him to take more of my power so he wouldn't be completely defenseless. There was no way Harry would ever have understood. I didn't want to…to lose the one person who ever made me feel like I belonged, like there was something special about me after all, something worthy of respect. I was unconscious, but not dying. No, I was far from death."

"Tom planned to take me with him once he was revived, so had had me make it look as though I'd been taken to the Chamber by force. We had to make it look as though I would die there, where no one would ever find me. If people found out I was still alive when I was with him, the Ministry could easily find us when I used magic, being underage. If they thought I was dead, however, they wouldn't be looking for my magical trace. It was such a brilliant plan. Tom really was gifted. However…we never planned on Harry. He'd been the first person _ever_ to find the entrance to the Chamber on their own. He ruined everything. He always does…"

"That…explains a lot." his voice was quiet.

"It does?" she asked, curious.

He nodded, "You refer to him as the Dark Lord, like the rest of his followers. No one else shows him respect but us -" he stopped abruptly, his eyes going wide for a brief moment, realizing what he'd said so carelessly, without a second thought.

Ginny giggled in amusement at his abrupt pause, "What's wrong, Draco? You look as though you've seen a Banshee!"

"I…uh…" he stumbled before clearing his throat and averting his gaze, "Nothing."

She smirked teasingly, raising her thin red brows in disbelief, "Draco, did you honestly believe that I didn't know you were a Death Eater? Sure, the trio has their suspicions, but I've known since the day you took the oath." she explained, reaching out and taking his hand in her cautiously. He looked at her with panic in his eyes and curiosity written all over his face.

"How can you possibly know that?"

She shrugged again, "I can sense it, from the Dark Mark I suppose. I must be more attuned to it than most, likely due to the connection I once held with the Dark Lord."

She turned his left hand over so his palm was face up and undid his silver cufflink. She slid his crisp white sleeve up his arm slowly, her eyes never leaving his. She didn't need to see it to know it was there. She could feel it as though it had its own pulse. There, tattooed on his forearm, was the Dark Mark. Tom's mark. The mark of the Dark Lord. The corners of her lips twitched slightly before turning up into a smile.

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**A/N:** Yays! Two in one night! Off to bed now…maybe I can get a whole eight hours of sleep in. R&R to get the juicy goodness of the next chapter! Please? ^-^


	5. Spark of Interest

**A/N:** So technically this tidbit was the second part of the previous chapter, but I wrote it like three months apart and felt like separating the two. It's rather short because of the split, but it just felt right as its own chapter. Terribly sorry for the wait. It's been, what, eight months now? Sadly, life gets in the way of my writing more often than I'd like it to. Things have been very rough this past year, and things seem to get worse just as they become semi-stable again…but, I promised myself I'd get some updates done this summer before I run off back to college and get swamped by work again.

P.S. I'm really going to try to keep the style and mood the same, but as I said, it's been eight months or so since I've involved myself in this story.

P.S.S. In case you're confused and have absolutely no idea what's going on because it's been forever since you've read from this...may I suggest going back and rereading the previous chapter, at the very least. Actually, I strongly advise it. xD

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Their eyes were still locked together, unblinking, as she extended a finger ever so slowly and touched the end of the snake tattooed on his arm. She began to trace along the snake's coiled pattern, feeling the image's static-like pulse beat against her fingertip. Draco remained frozen. He couldn't tear his eyes from her; he couldn't pull his arm away. Her skin was cold as ice from the drafty castle, but she left a trail of fire upon his arm. A tight knot formed itself in his stomach as she reached the end of the mark. He knew she would let go, but, in that moment, that was the last thing he wanted. The smile at the corner of her lips had already faded when she went to pull away, and that's when he lunged. One second they were sitting a foot apart, eyes locked, hardly touching, and the next, his hands were in her hair and dragging her closer as his lips claimed hers.

For a split second she was mildly confused by his sudden outburst, but all too soon she was lost in his touch. Her mind was babbling out incoherent thoughts when her body took over and acted of its own accord. She clung to the man before her as desperately as he clung to her. His lips were soft but the kiss fierce in comparison, as though he were on fire and she was the water that could extinguish him. The world around them was melting away; all she could focus on was him – Draco. The way he smelled, the feel of his hands on her waist, the flex of his arms as he held her to his chest, and the way his lips fit so perfectly with hers.

And then reality struck them once more. They found themselves laid out across his bed, their limbs entangled with one another's. A loud, rather impatient, knock sounded from the door – the sound that caused their abrupt halt. Ginny laid there in his embrace, their breathing uneven, as they stared at one another in awe. Another knock echoed through the room. Draco grumbled and carefully disentangled himself from Ginny. He got out of bed and smoothed down his hair, taking a few strides towards the door while straightening out his disheveled clothes.

Ginny's gaze followed him across the room and she blushed a little.

_Did I do that?_

She glanced down at herself and found her shirt was unbuttoned almost to her navel, her skirt was riding up and nearly turned sideways, and one of her stockings was missing while the other pooled at her ankle. Her face reddened even more, both embarrassed and shocked at the turn of events. She stood from the bed to tidy up and grab her things.

Draco ripped open the door to his room, leaving it ajar just enough to see who was on the other side. He grimaced and crossed his arms, addressing his visitor, "What do _you_ want?"

"I've come to escort you to supper, Draco," came their high-pitched voice. Stowing her books into her bag, Ginny had to suppress a groan when she recognized the voice of their unwelcome visitor.

_Pansy? Perfect. Just ruddy brilliant! Why in the name of Merlin did the school's queen gossip monger have to pick NOW of all times to make an appearance? I can't even imagine what sort of rumors she'll spread around if she sees me in here…_

"Well, Pansy, did it ever occur to you that I don't want your company?" His tone was low and cold; any sane person would take a hint and get lost.

"Well, why wouldn't you want me around, Draco dear? We make the perfect couple, it's only a matter of time before you see that yourself. In the end you'll have no choice but to accept it. Us Purebloods must stick together, especially in times like these. Once you've graduated your father won't rest until you've married a Pureblood. Let's face it, Draco, unless you'd like to marry a cousin of yours, I'm the best you'll ever get."

Draco was losing his patience very quickly, he could feel his temper rising almost to the brink. He felt like hollering at the whelp in front of him, he felt like throttling her until his message was completely clear. But no, none of those whims were possible. He didn't feel like receiving punishment from the school as well as his father simply for fulfilling his revenge against another student, another Pureblood. She simply wasn't worth the time. Instead, he smiled a slow, crawling, "Pansy, I wouldn't marry you if you were the last Pureblood in the world. You and your entire family are the weakest links to the Pureblood line that have ever existed. I've told you before and I'll only tell you this one last time. I want _nothing_ to do with you. I want you to stop pestering me, in fact, never speak to me again. And, just so you're aware, my father would rather have me marry a flobberworm than a Parkinson. Now, run along and find some pathetic tool to sponge a reputation off of."

Pansy's pug-like face was beat red with anger, her eyes filling with angry tears as Draco slammed the door in her face, latched the lock, and turned his back on it. He sighed in frustration and ran his hands through his pale blonde locks while crossing to the center of the room. He stopped and dropped his hands to his sides when he caught sight of Ginny hurriedly scooping papers and books into her rucksack.

She spotted him in the middle of the room and gave him an awkward smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder and tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. "It's getting late…I figured that was enough, err…studying, for one night. I'll just head back to my common room to drop off my things before supper."

He nodded curtly and approached her, slipping his hands into his pockets and lowering his gaze to the floor, "I'm very sorry about that, Ginerva."

"About…about what, exactly? Just now, with Pansy? Or…or about…before that?"

"Well, while I'm at it, I might as well apologize for both. I am sorry for Pansy's disturbance. Her presence is never a welcome one while I'm around, for obvious reasons. And for earlier, before that…well, all I can do is apologize and promise that it will never happen again. I'm not quite sure what came over me. Normally I'm quite skilled with self-control…"

"Yes, well, no reason to fret about it. Pretend it never happened." She smiled weakly, "I'll be on my way now."

He nodded and offered a brief smile in return, his steely gaze following her retreat from his room. As soon as she was out of sight, the room felt empty and cold, like it held no objects, no people, and no emotion.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! I finished a chapter I started back in November, and it's currently August. I feel like crap for making you all wait, I really do. But, hey, I finally accomplished something. And I PROMISE there's more. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak, plus back in January I wrote up four or five chapters with main events that don't happen for a little while, but they give me an idea of where I'm going and the determination to get there, because those are some of my favorite scenes. Please, read & review!


	6. Brilliant

**A/N:** Holy hell, I got two out in one night. Now to go work on a third...

It's after 5 am, I'm attempting to pull an all-nighter, and I figured I can get a lot done during the early hours of the morning. And thus, a new chapter is born. And by new, I mean _really_ new. The prologue and first four chapters I had scribbled out in a notebook for over a year. I've slowly been typing and editing them for your viewer enjoyment. But, alas, my notebook ran out of paper and I stopped writing at chapter four. So, now, this is the very first competely original chapter that I just made up off the top of my head, at 5 am. Since this story had been dead for so long, we'll see how I did with writing new material. Read and review, I need some encouragement. xD

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The ceiling portrayed a picturesque view of the cloudy night sky with not a star in sight. Ginny scoffed and continued pushing her potatoes around her plate with her fork. For once her appearance matched what she felt internally. She was confused, she felt lost, and she was confused as to why she felt lost. Even the enchanted ceiling seemed to match her inner conflict. Beside her, Harry was talking animatedly to Ron and Hermione with a few other Gryffindors listening in as well. As for Ginny, she drowned out all the noise surrounding her. IT was highly unnecessary to listen to anything the trio had to say as none of it involved her, concerned her, or was even meant for her ears. They never included her, she was always just there, like an attachment.

She sat there for over an hour pondering the events that occurred in Draco's room. She hardly touched her food, she never spoke a word, and her carefully crafted mask was out of place and far from her mind. She emerged from her pool of thoughts as the trio got up and left without a word to her or a glance back. She nearly gasped and she wanted to badly to kick herself for letting her mask slip away while she was completely surrounded by her housemates. That, of course, is when she realized that no one had noticed. No one said a single word to her all evening or even noticed something was amiss. All those years of keeping herself in check around people, too worried they would see through her and try to fix her when she wasn't broken, all that effort was wasted. No one even knew she was there!

Her temper flared. She could feel her ears burning to a crisp from her sudden rush of anger. She lifted her contemplative gaze from her plate so as to find a distraction, so her anger wouldn't boil over and explode. Her eyes searched the room, looking for anything familiar to latch onto in a brief panic, and that's when she caught sight of him. There he sat, three tables over in a crowd of silver and green. Instantly she felt the storm waging inside her come to a speeding halt. Her eyes met his, and she realized he'd been watching her. She'd only just noticed his presence, yet he had found the redhead in a sea of red and gold. In Gryffindor she was one among many, she blended into the background so easily, yet he seemed to have found no trouble in locating her.

_Draco! Why is he staring at me? How long has he been watching? Oh, Merlin, I hope he didn't see that just now…_

The corner of his lips twitched as though he were about to smile but felt like restraining it instead. Ginny stared into his icy blue eyes from across the Hall, watching as his eyes flicked to the entrance and back to her again. She furrowed her brow, wondering what he wanted, but broke her eyes away from his all the same. She lowered her head a bit and stood from the table, walking towards the entrance to the Dining Hall at a casual pace. Outside she looked calm, but inside her heart was beating against her chest. Her feet moved across the stone floor in a normal speed, but the walk to the doorway seemed to take longer than it ever had before. She didn't look back to see if Draco was following from his side of the Hall, she didn't want to look conspicuous. Clearly, whatever Draco wanted needed to be kept discreet, otherwise he would have approached her instead of staring her down during supper.

Finally she reached her destination and stepped out into the Entrance Hall. Crossing the Hall, she took a seat on the stone bench beside one of the many windows. Her eyes looked out at the night to search the sky. The weather seemed to have cleared up a little since she last checked, and her eyes glistened with the light from the moon.

"It's a bit early for stargazing, don't you think?" asked Draco. Ginny turned to look up at him and again noticed the hint of a smile on his lips.

"Not really. It's quite dark enough in the sky for stars now. Actually, I was looking at the moon. It's quite nice tonight." She grinned at him and motioned for him to sit down, ignoring the presence of students as they slowly began to trickle out of the Dining Hall.

"Mmm, yes, the moon is quite beautiful tonight." He agreed, peering out the window behind them.

She turned her attention back to him and she examined his face speculatively, "What is it you wanted, Draco? You didn't beckon me out here for nothing."

He chuckled and glanced over at the girl beside him, "What makes you think I wanted anything but to be in your company?"

Ginny narrowed her emerald eyes at him slightly, staring him down, "You're a Malfoy. Everything you do is either for your own benefit, or because you have some sort of ulterior motive."

"Hmm…nicely put." He smirked.

She sighed, "Look, Draco, it's late and I'm tired. Would you please move this along so I can get some sleep sometime this century?"

His smirk grew as he perked a brow and nodded, a bit intrigued by her assumptions, "Very well, since you're in such a hurry tonight. I have a proposition for you."

"Another one?" she asked in exasperation.

"Technically it is still all part of our original plan. This, however, will really make Potter pay. Yes, once you have a reputation and social aspirations Potter will no doubt be interested once again and you will be able to turn him down, you'll be able to crush his precious ego. I agreed to this because I cannot wait to watch Potter's misery, I will revel in it and knock him down a few pegs while I can, while he's still vulnerable. However, I fear this approach may take too long. A month of school has already passed us by and the term will be over before we know it. Soon after, he and I will leave Hogwarts and possibly never encounter one another again. Social reform may take more time than we have, so I've devised a way to get you to that brink, hopefully, at a much faster pace." He explained.

Ginny nodded slowly, a bit eager to hear his idea. She wondered whether she was truly interested in his plan, in any part of their plan for revenge, or if she simply did enjoy his company as he had joked of hers earlier. His voice was smooth and rich like velvet, it made her feel at peace with the world instead of all her emotions bubbling and burning inside like an acid. She grinned at him gently, "So, what may I ask is this brilliant plan of yours?"

"Rumors." He half-whispered to her in the darkness, a few more students rustling by, their conversations and laughter echoing off the stone corridors.

"Rumors?" she asked in disbelief, "How exactly are rumors going to _help_ my reputation?"

"The more you and I are seen together by the public, the more the rumors will fly. Think about it, Pansy has already seen me in a very disheveled state. She's a Slytherin, so she's already suspicious by nature, and with that image in her mind with the rumor or two of you and I being seen alone together, she'll jump to conclusions and the rumors will spread like a disease. Everyone will want to know if the rumors are true, some may be brave enough to confront you, others will merely watch and wait. You and I will have to pretend as though nothing is going on between us. Then, after a few weeks, once everyone is wired and dying for answers, we shall come out to the public as a couple. Nothing grandiose, something simple and innocent so they won't suspect we've been leading them on. The rumors will be confirmed, your reputation will soar to new heights, not just from the rumor that you are with me, but even greater because you will actually be at my side." His grin widened as he came to his conclusion.

Ginny sat in silence, sinking in this idea. She stared at him, she couldn't help but stare. Yes, she could see why such rumors would benefit her poor reputation. They were both Purebloods from opposite sides of the war. He had more money than Merlin himself and she hadn't a knut to her name. He was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor. He was the enemy of the famous Harry Potter while she had dated him. She was a Weasley, he a Malfoy. Her family and housemates were in league with Harry Potter, while Draco's family and housemates would love nothing more than Harry's head on a silver platter. They were opposite in every way; the very definition of forbidden. Which is why it was all so brilliant.

"Have you gone mental, Malfoy?" she demanded in a hushed tone. "Yes, your plan would work, it would go off without a hitch. But don't you see the consequences of that? If we pretended to be a couple, eventually our families would find out. I really don't care what mine would have to say about it, because I never agree with anything they say. I wouldn't let them tell me who I could and could not date even if we were a real couple. But, Draco, what would your father say? Hell, what would your father do? There's no way he would take that news lying down."

"Yes, I've thought about the consequences," He began, "but I'm sure if given time and a proper explanation, he wouldn't object much to the idea. Either he would assume it was just a fling, something that needed to get out of my system before marriage and settling down…or he would eventually come to welcome the idea. You are a Pureblood after all, Ginny. Yes, your family and mine don't see eye-to-eye, but you aren't your family. The lot of you aren't a package deal. You have your own opinions and your own life to live, I'm sure I could convince him to give you a chance if the need arose."

"And what would we do once we completed this wonderful plan of yours? Stage some dramatic public break-up?"

"Yes, something like that." He grinned, "Now, what do you say, Ginny?"

"I say that maybe you have gone completely mental if you think I'll agree to something like that. Yes, it suits your needs and mine quite well. I'll get respect and power, you'll get to see Harry a miserable wreck, even moreso if he believes I chose you over him, but I'm sick of living a lie, Draco! And I don't think I could handle a constant charade like that."

"Ginny, is it really much more of a charade than you're putting on now for the entire world?" he accused, looking her in the eye once more.

She glared at him sharply and huffed, thinking through everything they'd gone over. Truly, his plan was foolproof, but she wanted something else. She wanted more, something to make the plan a bit easier on her part.

"Fine, Draco. I'll agree to this on one condition." She smiled darkly.

His eyes narrowed a tad, "Condition?"

She nodded, "Yes. I'll go along with the new plan, but we'll obviously need to be seen together, we'll need to be alone together for long periods of time if we're going to get some rumors buzzing. During that time I'd still like you to tutor me, might as well put that free time to good use."

"Agreed." He smiled, "Anything else?"

"Of course. Just one more, though. This won't be easy, by any means, but if I'm going to have to be your girlfriend, I'll have all the school after me about the rumors, the last thing I want is to be disturbed constantly in my own common room. I'd like to switch houses, I've never felt like I belonged in Gryffindor anyway."

"Switch houses? It's unheard of. No one in the history of Hogwarts has ever changed houses after their sorting. How do you suppose I'll get Snape to agree to that one, hmm?" he demanded in exasperation.

"Well, you're a smart chap, Draco. As Head Boy, I'm sure you'll figure something out. Snape's an old family friend of yours too, is he not? Besides, you're a Slytherin, you must be very good at bending the truth and manipulating others."

He growled under his breath, "Did you have a particular house in mind?"

"No, that's the Sorting Hat's job. Tell Snape I feel like I was unfairly sorted, that my bloodline got in the way of the Hat's decision. I'm not doing well in Gryffindor, which is entirely true. I've never felt at home there, and I feel that having a new house may improve upon my performance in school. If he agrees, your tutoring skills will hopefully show an increase in my marks and he'll see that my new house is indeed encouraging me skills."

Draco sat in silence, pondering it all to himself. She wanted a new house, it would be a challenge but perhaps he could persuade Snape to give it a shot, discreetly of course. Besides, Draco needed Ginny to accept his plan, and this was her demand. He would pull it off for her. He had to.

He sighed a bit reluctantly, "You have yourself a deal, Weasley."

She smiled a faintly bitter smile and nodded, "As do you, Malfoy."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm a huge grammar freak, if there's any mistakes or typos feel free to let me know and I'll go back and fix them. I try my best to edit it all before I post it for you guys, but I'm only human, stuff tends to slip past my notice. Especially with it being such a late hour...er...early hour...you know what I mean. Reviews, please, and I promise you shall have more.


	7. ReSorted

A/N:

Holy hell, again. Three chapters, one night. Well, technically I cheated a bit. I didn't actually write all this in one night. I wrote this chapter back in January as a filler, because I knew I wanted Ginny in a new house and I wasn't quite sure how that would go down. So, one night, I was playing over conversations and such in my head, struck upon something like this, and wrote it down before I forgot it. So the style may be a bit off from the last chapter, but I did go back in and add a few tidbits here and there.

Some more Draco/Ginny action for you all. ;)

* * *

Ginny stood outside the entrance to the headmaster's staircase, pacing back and forth down the long, dark hallway. She was alone. The sound of her shoes against the stone floor echoed all around her like the beating of her nervous heart. Draco had been speaking with the headmaster for nearly 30 minutes. She never imagined it would take quite this long.

_What is happening up there?_ _What if he says no? We need him to say yes! If he doesn't, our plan will need some serious rethinking._

Upstairs in the office, Draco sat opposite the headmaster. They had been making small talk, then moved on to discussing Draco's responsibilities as Head Boy and how he seemed to be slacking lately, before Draco was able to change the subject towards his goal, his whole purpose for requesting this meeting with Snape.

"Sir, regarding my duty as Head Boy…" he began.

"Yes, what about it?" Snape drawled, uninterested.

"I received a rather odd request this afternoon, from a Gryffindor." He stated.

"As long as it wasn't that miserable Potter or one of his lot, then I see no reason for you to consult me with _your_ responsibilities. You have the power to make necessary decisions." He spat, disdain for the Gryffindor house clear in his voice.

"No, it wasn't Potter. It was Ginerva Weasley, sir."

"The Weasley girl? That's not much of an improvement, Draco. I don't have time for the pathetic requests of a _Weasley_. I have a school to run."

"I'm afraid, sir, that I don't have the power to accept or deny her request. I did say it was quite unusual."

Snape grumbled low in his chest and rose from his chair, "Very well. What is it that the Weasley wants?"

Draco watched him quietly, he knew Snape would not like where this was going, it was bound to cause problems if he accepted and he and Ginny were going to cause him trouble if he refused. He was determined to get what he came for. This would not be a wasted endeavor. If he didn't succeed, Ginny could back out of their plan if she chose to. This was her condition, her demand. She wanted a new house, she wanted to be stripped of her Gryffindor title, and Draco could be the key to her sanctuary.

"It seems Weasley is demanding a chance to be re-sorted."

Snape furrowed his brow and narrowed his cold eyes at the boy before him, "What do you mean _re _-sorted?" he asked slowly.

"She is unhappy with the house the sorting hat chose for her. She feels she was placed in Gryffindor merely because of her bloodline, not because of any outstanding character traits she may possess. A student's house is meant to support them through their academics and help them succeed. Their house will help shape them into the person they were meant to be. Miss Weasley doesn't feel that is being accomplished in her current house, which leads her to believe she was not properly sorted. Therefore, she wishes to go through the sorting process once more, this time with the sorting hat doing its job correctly without any prejudices towards her surname."

When Draco finished he watched Snape carefully. His lips were in a tight line, his brows knit together, as if he were deep in thought. Draco had known Snape for years; he knew this was a good sign. The simple fact that Snape had not simply told him off already for not simply denying this request up front was good. He was considering it. Minutes ticked by in silence, all the while Draco and Snape were watching one another carefully. Draco's face was even, giving away no hint of his real intentions. His mask was in place, and it was perfect.

"If I grant Miss Weasley her request, this will surely cause some dispute amongst the other students. More and more of them will come to you with similar requests, thinking of it as a game. What would you tell them?" Snape questioned in his slow, cold voice.

It was too easy. Draco and Ginny had gone over every possible turn this conversation could take. They had been preparing all week; Draco had just the answer to give him. "That's simple, sir. I would deny them if they had no proper logic behind their request. If the reasoning was sound, much like in Miss Weasley's case, then I would be able to bypass your permission and allow them to be sorted again, since you had already allowed the action before. A new rule can be written to give such powers to the Head Boy and Head Girl, so the headmaster wouldn't need to be bothered by the whims of the students."

Snape nodded, "And if I said no?"

"We could possibly be losing a very powerful witch, by not letting Miss Weasley grow her abilities in the house where she belongs. She will not excel in Gryffindor. Her marks are already seriously lacking, as I'm sure you're well aware of. She will have no hope of achieving great things or even learning much of anything while at school."

"What leads you to believe she could achieve such greatness if she changed houses? What if she was meant for Gryffindor, and is simply another pathetic whelp like the rest of her family?"

"Her past, sir. It's unlike that of her family's. It's interesting. She confronted the Dark Lord as a mere child in her first year, but not only shared her mind and body with him, but she lived to tell the tale. She is not the typical Gryffindor. Even you cannot deny that. The Dark Lord chose her, sir, perhaps he saw something in her that the Sorting Hat did not."

Snape didn't reply. He didn't see the need to. He returned to his seat and sat there watching Draco again. Their situation was indeed out of the ordinary, but deep down he had the strangest feeling that Draco was right, that the Weasley girl was bound to do something important with herself. That she could prove herself worthy of a new name, one befitting that wouldn't drag her through the mud as her family had.

Downstairs, Ginny gave up her pacing and stopped near the wall at the end of the corridor. She sighed heavily and leaned her forehead against the cold stone wall. Her eyes came to a close, trying to relax herself. A noise sounded from down the hall, stone sliding on stone. Ginny lifted her head and glanced down the hall to see the Headmaster's staircase moving. Her eyes lit up and she pushed off the wall, walking up the hall towards the entrance, when Draco emerged from the hidden staircase. She approached him slowly. He did not look victorious. He didn't smile or sneer. His face gave away no hint of emotion, no hint of what occurred in Snape's office. Each step she took in his direction made her heart sink a little lower, disappointment weighing heavy in her chest.

She stopped a few feet from him, searching his face, his eyes. She spoke in almost a whisper, all of her hopes and dreams in one small word, "Well?"

He looked down at her with his sharp eyes, his face still perfectly smooth until the corner of his lips twitched and turned up into a smirk, "He said yes."

Her eyes widened in shock. If she hadn't been so happy then her jaw may have dropped. Instead, her face lit up and she squealed in excitement. Closing the distance between Draco and herself, she threw her arms around him and started laughing, "Thank you! Oh, thank you, Draco! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He chuckled softly and gently hugged her in return. He had known she would be happy, but he didn't know quite _how_ happy. To be honest, he was certain this was the happiest he had ever seen her. Granted he had never paid her much mind in all their years attending Hogwarts together. She was, however, very nice to look at, but he hadn't even noticed _that_ until he saw the way Potter had been ogling her the year before. Yes, he wanted to make Potter's life hell at every chance he got, but he didn't have any desire to go after a Weasley just to do so. But…wasn't that what he was doing now? What had made him change his mind about Ginny? Their encounter on the train? No, even then he didn't have the intention of stealing her away, or pretend to. It had to have been when he snogged her in his room. He hadn't planned it; it was a sudden impulse that he simply couldn't fight at the time. He vowed not to lose control like that again. He was a Malfoy; they were the essence of control.

So why did he suddenly care if he made her happy or not?

Ginny looked up at him with a huge grin on her face, her emerald eyes sparkling like jewels, "When is it going to happen? How are we going to go about this? How long do I have to wait? Will it be in the Great Hall like with the first years?"

He smiled down at her and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, "Professor Snape is waiting for us in his office. He would like to do the sorting in private, right away, so we don't have to schedule another meeting with him."

Every muscle in her body froze when he touched her face, her hair, in such a gentle manner. The smile on her face slowly melted away until she was simply gazing up at him with a look of admiration. His thumb stroked along her jaw line as his smile also vanished. His clear blue eyes became intense, she felt her pulse speed up and her breathing quicken as he leaned down to her slowly.

Footsteps echoed from the Headmaster's stairs, a bitter voice called out to them and they jumped, releasing one another as Snape yelled, "Draco, hurry up already! I haven't got all night!"

He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, turning towards the stairs and motioning for Ginny to follow. She gulped and jogged a few steps to catch up with him, a bit shaken by what almost happened. She climbed the stairs in silence, spiraling up and around until they reached the top and found Snape waiting impatiently in the doorway to his office.

"Well it's about time," he complained, "Hurry up already; I haven't got all day!"

They entered his office and sat in the chairs in front of his desk. He closed the door with a loud bang and approached the two students. Ginny's eyes were glued to his desk, where atop sat the famous Sorting Hat. As far as she knew, she would be the first person in Hogwarts history to ever wear the sorting hat for a second time. No one had ever changed houses before, but she was certain that she would. She was not meant for Gryffindor. She was different from her family. This was the first big step to separating herself from the crowd, from the Weasleys.

"Miss Weasley," Snape began, crossing the room and standing in front of his desk, "Mr. Malfoy has presented me with your request to be sorted again, and I have agreed out of…mere curiosity. The Sorting Hat has never been wrong before."

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity, sir. And I mean no disrespect to you or the Sorting Hat, but you're wrong. I feel the Hat was wrong about me because it didn't look properly. It saw me as a Weasley and immediately tossed me into Gryffindor without a second thought. I don't think that was right, regardless of how many Weasleys have gone into Gryffindor before me," she stated firmly, "Look at the Black family for example. Sirius had been the only Black in history that wasn't sorted into Slytherin, but he did so well in Gryffindor because he belonged there. Slytherin would have eaten him alive."

"I have already made my decision, Miss Weasley. I applaud you for doing research to back up your case and defend yourself, but if you would now refrain from speaking, we can continue with the sorting and be on our way."

A light blush rose to her cheeks and she nodded, lowering her gaze to her hands folded in her lap. She had just been insulted and complimented in the same sentence, but she chose to bite her tongue instead of firing back with another witty response. Things were already going her way; she didn't need to anger anyone just yet.

Snape lifted the Sorting Hat from his desk and lowered it onto Ginny's head. It immediately sprang to life, confused. It had already done its job little over a month ago. It was never used twice in the same year.

"What is going on here?" it bellowed.

"Just do your job without prejudice against a Weasley like you should have done when I was 11." Ginny ordered the hat atop her head.

"Do as she says," commanded Snape, "without further question."

"Yes, yes, alright. No need to get snippy," grumbled the hat, no doubt upset at being woken almost a year too early. "Now, what do we have here? Ah, the female Weasley. You're a Gryffindor, you are."

_Do not judge me on my bloodline! Look deeper than that! Look at who I am!_

"Definitely a feisty one, nasty little temper there. Brave, I see. Sharp too. Yes, a clever minded girl. You use that to your advantage. Hmm…a strong desire to prove yourself, very determined on that I see. Now, where to put you? Most definitely not in Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw would nourish your mind, but not your ambitions. Gryffindor suits you well…but perhaps not well enough. I see a darker side to you, much darker. Gryffindor would only lead to conflict. Yes, I see that now. Very well, then. You shall go to Slytherin!"

A knot formed in her stomach as Ginny listened to the Hat's ranting. It was talking in circles to her. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. Her entire future rested on this moment. A low buzzing began in her ears. When the hat shouted Slytherin, it was as though someone had lifted a veil and cleared the fog from the room. She could see and hear again, the knot vanished and her stomach calmed itself. Slytherin? She would be a Slytherin? She was no longer a Gryffindor! She was now a Slytherin! Yes, that suited her just fine

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**A/N: **Yes, yes. I know it was a bit obvious, but it will totally make things more fun from now on. 'Cause now, they're in the same house. Yeah, Draco's got his own private suite as one of those lovely Head Boy perks, but they're still in the same house, which means more fun and more time together! Yay for Draco/Ginny banter.

You see that button at the bottom of the page? Yes, you do, I know you do. You'd love to review for me now, wouldn't you? You'd better review, I just uploaded three lengthy chapters in one night. xD REVIEW!


	8. The Snake Pit

**A/N:** So, this chapter isn't quite as long as the previous ones have been. It feels a bit rushed, because I just really wanted to get this part out of the way as soon as possible. The good news, it's a rather interestin chapter. You get a new character and a few laughs, hopefully. xD

This makes four chapters in two days. Review!

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After she had been re-sorted, Snape had the house elves transfer Ginny's belongings to their new home in a Slytherin dormitory. He then escorted her there personally, accompanied by Draco, to explain the situation; for safety reasons. A former Gryffindor entering the snake pit alone would have been a death sentence. They would ask questions first, but attack before an answer could be given. The Slytherins still admired their former Head of House and current Headmaster, they would listen to Snape; he was one of them. With Draco at his side to keep an eye on the situation once Snape was gone, Ginny was ensured protection.

All of Slytherin was called to the common room and the situation was explained. Snape gave them no direct threats, but merely said to treat Ginny as they would any other member of their house. Of course, once he left, Draco added that anyone who gave her a hard time would be dealt with accordingly, with or without the Headmaster's approval. Some of the first and second years looked frightened, some of the older students were clearly intimidated but said nothing and pretended like nothing at all was wrong – true Slytherin nature, cunning and deceitful.

Afterwards, Ginny was given a brief tour of their territory in the dungeons before Draco sat her down by the fire and claimed her attention. No one else had said a word to her, but they were still staring. Some with anger, some with disgust, and some with morbid curiosity. She felt uncomfortable with everyone steeling glances in their direction every few seconds, but she wouldn't let it show. From the second she entered into the realm of the snakes she put on an air of superiority and fearlessness. Before long, she would be one of them; they would accept her and move on. They had to, or else her plan would not succeed.

For hours Draco and Ginny sat by the fire, talking animatedly and laughing on occasion. To everyone else it looked like she was winning him over with her charm. To the public eye this would look like the start of a friendship, later to grow into something more. This is where they would say it all started. After a while the angry faces vanished and they too sat around the fire either listening or participating in the conversation. Pansy sat in a corner across the room, fuming and shooting daggers at the large group that gathered around Draco and Ginny. Even her roommates had deserted her to become involved.

She wasn't sure when it happened, but it was well past sunset when someone broke out the firewhiskey. A glass of the searing liquid found its way into her pale hand, and as she glanced around the room she saw everyone still awake had already started guzzling it down. She fiddled with the rim of the glass for a while, not really wanting to drink, especially with classes the next morning. Just then, a tall slender girl with black hair and a tan complexion came flouncing over and plopped herself down on the plush leather sofa beside Ginny.

"Hey, Gin! You don't mind if I call you Gin, do you? No? Good. I'm Adabella, one of your new roommates." She flashed a winning smile and emptied the contents of her glass. She looked at Ginny again and her brows shot up, "I'm on my way to being smashed, and here you are sitting with a full drink in hand!" A sly grin spread across her face, "Come on now, to be a real Slytherin you have to take risks, you have to live on the edge, you have to _party_! I want to see you chug that drink of yours."

Ginny had remained silent through Adabella's little drunken rant, analyzing and observing. She needed to know these people, who they were, what they were like, and how they could be manipulated. She didn't really mind being called Gin, it only bothered her when her family used it, or Harry. Then again, anything that came out of that bastard's mouth made her want to scream and punch someone in the face. She was zoning out – it had been a long and eventful day, she was tired – but she tuned back in to catch the end of Adabella's rant, calling her out on her lack of drunkenness.

She didn't care much for alcohol, but she had just been challenged by one of the people she needed to win over, while the rest of her peers ceased their partying to watch. They were all curious, and who could blame them? Could a Gryffindor really be a Slytherin at heart? Only time would tell, and this was her first test.

She smirked at her roommate as the room fell into silence. Ginny took a deep breath, cocked her head back, and downed her glass of firewhiskey as fast as she could swallow. A few people, most likely drunk off their arse, cheered when she slammed her empty glass down onto the coffee table. Adabella clapped her on the back with a grin and resumed her partying. Ginny waited a moment until she felt most eyes were no longer following her every move, then she stood from her seat and rushed through the room towards the refreshment table. She was stopped midway by a hand on her upper arm. She glanced to her side and found Draco standing there with a tall glass of water in his hand which he stretched out to her.

She gave him a quick thanks before taking the glass and chugging down the water as though she was dying of thirst.

He laughed and leaned casually against the wall, "Well done. Once you have Bella on your side no one will try anything stupid with you. Snape and I can only do so much, but we can't watch you while you sleep. If you befriend Bella, which you're well on your way to doing, then you'll have a personal bodyguard at your disposal when I can't be there to scare the buggers off."

"Bella?" she asked, confused.

"Your roommate, and new drinking partner, it would seem."

"She has a liking for short names I take it? What does she call you, Big D?"

"Funny, Ginny. When you're done making jokes, be sure to let me know." At that he turned towards the door and left with a slight wave of the hand.

_Humph. Fine. Be a grouch and run off to bed._

"Hey, Gin! C'mere!" came a shout from across the room. Ginny turned and caught sight of Bella pouring another round of firewhiskey. She held up a glass and wiggled it a few times, "This one has got your name written all over it!"

_Great. So much for my morning classes._

Ginny sighed inwardly and put on her usual forced smile, the one she used mostly around Harry, and pushed her way back through the crowd of drunken Slytherins.

"Aww, did Draky-boo ditch the party?" Bella asked, handing a glass to Ginny with a smile.

Ginny tried to suppress her laugh, and failed. She spluttered a bit and took a small sip of her firewhiskey, "Draky-boo, eh?"

"Yeah, he just _loathes_ that one. You should see the face he makes when he hears it – absolutely priceless!" Bella laughed, "Now, how about a toast with my new roomie?"

"A toast?" she asked, "What are we toasting?"

"Hmm...To one hell of a year at Hogwarts!" she cheered, raising her glass, "And to Draky-boo, in hopes that he gets that stick out of his arse!"

Ginny threw her head back and laughed, a real laugh, "I'll toast to that." She raised her glass with Bella's and gulped it all down. She was actually having a good time, in a nest full of Slytherins. Such an unlikely place to fit in, yet there she was, already starting to feel at home. Something she thought she'd lost the ability to feel a long time ago.

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**A/N:** Hmm...I don't really have anything to say here. I'm attempting an all-nighter, as all my other attempts have failed, so it's really hard to keep my eyes open. Please forgive any typos. I want reviews!


	9. Confrontation

**A/N:** Hello again, guys. I know it's been almost a year since I've updated last...and I'm terribly sorry for that. If any of you are even still going to read this, then I thank you greatly. As a special thanks, I plan to upload not only this brand new chapter I've just written, but the next two chapters as well that I've have pretty much done and waiting since last year.

I really wish I hadn't left you guys and this story hanging in the air for so long, but my life went through a million hoops last year. There's usually ups and downs for everyone throughout life, but last year life just kept knocking me further and further down. It seemed like it was never going to let up. Around late October I even ended up in the hospital where I nearly died. With every new blow I felt like I lost another piece of myself. I spent the whole winter in a depressed state, and absolutely nothing I loved held any interest for me anymore. I barely even left my bed unless I absolutely had to. Towards Christmas I made a few changes to try to give myself the time I needed to heal, I left college and moved home to be with my fiance and try to pull myself out of my depression. This year seems to be bringing with it happier times. Things seem to be looking up again. We're even expecting our first child this September, a baby girl we're naming Caelan.

I'm really excited to start working on this story again. If I manage to pick up any new readers along the way, welcome to the show! It's been a really long time since I've worked on the story or even written anything, so I apologize ahead of time if I screw some things up or if the style seems to have changed.

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The morning following her initiation into Slytherin proved Hogwarts' rumor mill would be quite useful in the unfolding of their plan. Granted, this little hurdle was not something Ginny had been looking forward to. Overnight, word of her sorting into Slytherin had spread around the school, but no one was able to confirm it until her appearance at breakfast donning her new green and silver robes, accompanied by a few other Slytherin girls who had taken a liking to Ginny. Entering the room, she held her head high and avoided eye contact with everyone. Her sights were set on the Slytherin table.

She took a seat and began filling her plate, Bella at her side and a couple other of their roommates scattered around them. She poured herself some coffee and took a few small sips, hoping the hot liquid would help the slight throbbing in her head from last night's partying. A loud yell echoed from the entrance and Ginny nearly spilled her cup all over herself. She glanced up to see what all the ruckus was and found her brother storming over in her direction, his face a brilliant red.

_Ugh…here we go._

"What the hell are you doing?" bellowed Ron, looming over her on the opposite side of the table.

Ginny raised her brows at him, "Eating breakfast?"

"With _them_?"

"Yeah, so?" she asked casually, setting her coffee down and lifting a knife to butter her toast.

"Ginny, they're _Slytherins_!" he shouted.

"Yes, and so am I." she stated matter-of-factly, trying her best to keep her cool.

"Like hell you are! You've been a Gryffindor like the rest of us since your first day here, and no sister of mine is going to hang around with the likes of them!"

Ginny jumped up from her seat at the table, the famous Weasley temper starting to get the better of her. With her hands on her hips, she squared her shoulders and looked her brother straight in the eye, "Good. Then as far as I'm concerned, Ronald, I am no sister of yours."

Out of nowhere, Harry and Hermione appeared at Ron's side, "Ron? What's going on?" Hermione questioned, laying a hand tentatively on his shoulder.

They waited for an answer, but Ginny chimed in before Ron could form a coherent thought through his anger, "Ron here is harassing me and my new friends. Why don't you lot get him out of here before he really makes a fool of himself."

"Gin, since when are you friends with Slytherins?" Harry asked, his forehead crinkling in confusion.

"Oh, I don't know, Harry. Since about last night, when the headmaster allowed me to be re-sorted, and I was placed in Slytherin." She stated, narrowing her eyes at him now too.

"WHAT?" Ron exploded again.

"Merlin, Ronald! I already told you; I'm a Slytherin now!"

"Over my dead body!" Harry exclaimed.

Just then, Bella stood up beside Ginny, her hands clenching the edge of the table, "That can be arranged, Potter."

Ginny's green eyes looked around at the faces of those surrounding her and realized this was not going to be resolved anytime soon, that's when she spotted Snape rising from his seat at the front table and descending the platform, headed in their direction. She fought back a grin.

"Potter, Weasley." Snape beckoned, his slick voice filled with loathing, "What seems to be the problem here?"

Both Harry and Ron's faces blanched, "Nothing, sir." Harry mumbled, avoiding making eye contact with the headmaster.

"Then I suggest you return to your seats." Snape practically hissed at them, his black eyes narrowed in disgust.

A triumphant grin broke out across Ginny's face and she gave a little wave to the trio as they retreated back to the Gryffindor table. She knew they wouldn't give up so easily, this was not going to be the last of her problems with them, but for now she was victorious.

_If they have this much of a problem with me being in Slytherin, just wait until Draco and I go public with our relationship._

Snape turned his attention then to Ginny, "Miss Weasley." He gave her a slight nod.

"Thank you, Professor." She smiled at him politely and sat down again, tugging Bella down with her.

Snape made his way back to the teacher's table and Bella turned to Ginny, "Merlin, Gin, I see why you were so eager to get away from Gryffindor. I can't imagine being holed up in that tower with those prats for seven years."

She laughed and took a bite of the toast she'd nearly forgotten about on her plate, "You have no idea. They're just getting started."

"Too bad dear old Snape probably won't be around next time then. He seemed to shut them up right quick."

Ginny laughed again, "No, it's too bad Snape showed up when he did. I'd pay good money to see the Amazing Harry Potter taken down by a Slytherin girl."

Bella grinned, her pale eyes glinting, "Oh, there's still plenty of time for that this year."

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**A/N:** So there ya go. Sorry again if it's terrible. I'm seriously out of practice. Plus this was just one of those chapters I needed to get out of the way to make room for the fun stuff. Hopefully you'll enjoy the next couple of chapters, which I'm going to upload like...now.

As always, review please! Lemme know you haven't given up on me entirely!


	10. Heated Discussion

**A/N: **As promised. ;) We actually get to see some of Draco in this one.

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Over the next few weeks Ginny and Draco spent their time meeting in semi-conspicuous locations to secure their master plan. They made sure never to reveal their meetings to anyone. No one was to know where they were going. No one was to know they were even meeting. They had to make sure they were seen alone together, but it had to look as if they didn't want to be seen; all to get the rumors started, seeing as how Harry kept his mouth shut tight about his encounter on the train. No doubt his ego was shaken a bit by that, but he would never admit to it.

Ginny would slip out of the common room and Draco would then make a grand exit and slip out after her. They would meet up again at the lake, or in the library, or sneak off to an empty classroom; always when there was one or two people to bear witness, so their "secret" meetings would merely remain rumor. What would the word of a handful of students mean in a school the size of Hogwarts? Nothing. They would need to do something in front of a large crowd for things to no longer be a rumor, but right then, all they needed were rumors. Rumors are what could make or break a person, and rumors of more than one romantic rendezvous with a Malfoy are the mother of all reputation-boosting rumors.

"So, when are we going to go public with this little romance of ours?" Ginny asked one evening.

They were lounging around in Draco's room, waiting out the hours until dinner would end and most students would flock back to the common room before bed. Then, Ginny was going to make a "sneaky" exit from Draco's room and immediately head for the stairs to her dorm as if she were invisible, though everyone nearby would be casting suspicious glances in her direction. People were easy to predict and therefore even easier to manipulate.

"Well," he began, placing his book on the desk, "after tonight I think we'll have raised enough suspicion, don't you?"

"Why else would I be asking? I didn't think we'd have to spend this much time just starting rumors about us. After the first week I figured someone would have confronted us."

His smirk fell into place and he shook his head, "These things take time. The longer the rumor goes unconfirmed, the more hype it builds."

"Yes, but it gets tiring. All of this sneaking around."

"Technically we aren't sneaking, we are pretending to sneak." His smirk grew.

She rolled her eyes and sat up from her position on the carpet, by the fire, and turned to look at him, "You know what I mean."

"Honestly, Ginny, I don't know why you're in such a hurry to end the rumors. This is the easy part. After we've come out of the broom closet, per se, then we'll have to be seen together everywhere. We will have to fool them all while being in the public's eye. Instead of pretending some of the time, we will have to pretend every time we aren't alone. People will throng to us, interrogate us on every detail of our relationship – how this all started, why we didn't tell anyone, and any other mindless question they can think of. Compared to the act we'll have to put on until Christmas, this stage of the plan is cake."

She narrowed her eyes at him slightly, "I fully understand what you're saying, Draco, but you don't have to be so arrogant about it."

"I am far from arrogant, Weasley." He scoffed.

She jumped to her feet and shot him an incredulous look, "_You_ are the definition of arrogant, Malfoy. Now, I'm leaving; I'm so sick of having to stay cooped up in here with you all the time. We're moving to Stage Two tomorrow, whether you like it or not. If we don't go public tomorrow then I'm calling off the whole plan and denouncing all of the rumors." She was practically shouting at him as she marched straight to the door, scooped up her belongings, and stormed into the common room, nearly plowing down a group of first years who got in her way.

She went to bed all in a huff, feeling as if storm clouds were hovering above her head. She couldn't sleep, but drew the curtains around her bed anyway. She didn't want to be bothered, but she knew she was bound to get questioned by her roommates. By now, nearly all of Slytherin would have heard about her little tiff with their precious God.

Nearly a month ago when the rumors started, all of her roommates began talking to her like she was some sort of idol. If she was good enough to transfer houses, if she was pretty enough to snag the attention of the most wanted man in school next to Harry Potter, whom she already dated, then they reasoned she must be worth befriending. They were social leeches, as Draco called them, and would attach themselves to whoever they saw with connections, with a reputation they could use to better their own. The part Ginny found almost humorous is the fact that what her roommates were doing to her is exactly what she was using Draco for. She was leeching off the Slytherin God; her _friends_ were in turn leeching off of her.

_A cycle_._ That's what Draco would call it. The never-ending cycle of socialites and social-climbers. Am I any better than they are? No…definitely not. In fact, I'm probably worse._

"Ginny?" Someone called in a hushed tone, "Ginny, are you awake?"

Silence followed.

"Let her be, Adeline." Demanded another, sharper, voice in a whisper, "Just talk to her tomorrow."

"But, Bella, you heard what my brother said. She was in a right state, knocked them all to the floor coming out of the Head Boy's room. I want to know what happened in there!" Adeline's voice was still quiet, but she was already backing down and her padded footsteps moved away from Ginny's bed.

Not many people stood up to Bella; she was gorgeous and intimidating, the ideal Slytherin girl. "I don't care. It's getting late, go to bed. I don't want to be up all night listening to your whining."

Ginny smiled to herself, she was really growing quite fond of Bella, the only one who didn't seem to care about gossip and reputation.

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**A/N:** There ya go. Review?


	11. Coming Out

**A/N:** Again, as promised. Even more Draco in this one. Hope it was at least kinda worth the year long wait.

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The room was filled with steam; the gilded mirror bolted to the wall was entirely covered with fog. Ginny stood in the shower over an hour, letting the hot water run across her body and relieve her stress. She wished she could just absorb all of the water and keep its soothing sensation with her all day. Sighing, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her slender body. Her roommates would be awake soon, she needed to get dressed and disappear before they started asking questions. Her former Gryffindor roommates may have accepted her excuse of being an insomniac, but she highly doubted her new Slytherin roommates would fall prey to her lies so easily.

She'd had another nightmare that night. The same nightmare she always had. Only this time, she didn't wake up right away. The dream continued on and she slept through most of the night and into the early hours of the morning. When she finally awoke, she ran to the bathroom and locked herself in as soon as she was steady enough to walk. She didn't want to hurt herself this time. The urge was still there, a strong desire that tempted her forwards – but she resisted. Instead, she jumped in the shower and made it as hot as she possibly could. She let the water scorch her skin. The pain was nothing like that of a blade. It hurt, but not as bad. This wasn't hazardous to her health or her soul. This wouldn't leave a scar, physical or emotional. This made her feel cleansed of her dark thoughts instead of being engulfed by them.

It was still a bit early for breakfast, but Ginny was used to being one of the first students in the Great Hall every morning. Her first month as a Slytherin was coming to a close, but she already felt more at home with her fellow Slytherins than she had in all her years spent in Gryffindor. She sat alone at the Slytherin table and fixed up her plate, nibbling on some fruit while she waited for other students to arrive.

When Draco stepped into the Great Hall for breakfast, nearly an hour later, he sought out a certain red head and found her at their house table without a problem. With hair the color of fire against the backdrop of black and green robes, Ginny stuck out like a gem sparkling in the sun. He sat beside her and took hold of a cup of coffee, briefly scanning the room. Pansy sat opposite them, a few seats down, and was shooting death glares in his direction – likely from bypassing her to sit next to Ginny.

The rumors were starting to get to her. She wanted the gossip to stop and her relationship with Draco to go public. With Draco at her side she could humiliate Harry, further antagonize her family, and gain the level of respect she craved.

He was one of the last to arrive like always, purposely so he could choose who to sit by, instead of arriving early and being flocked by social leeches.

"Good morning, Draco," Ginny said, not looking up from the book she was reading.

They were relatively alone at their end of the table, the seats around them quite vacant. Though Bella had taken a liking to sitting by her at mealtimes, she was currently in the dungeons nursing a hangover…again.

He smirked over at her, "Morning, Gin-bug."

She rolled her eyes and closed her book, placing it in her bag, "We're not going to use idiotic pet names now, are we?"

His trademark smirk didn't falter, "I don't think pet names will be required of us, they just make things a tad more fun. Now, today is the day we officially end the rumors of our romance, and come out as a couple."

"A fake couple," she noted, secretly glad she didn't have to argue her point with him again.

"Not to our fellow classmates, _dearest_ Ginny."

"Fine, then. Let's get this over with, _darling_." She grumbled, swinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

_These damn pet names will get old quickly..._

Draco immediately got to his feet, his smirk in place, and held a hand out to her. Ginny put on the best smile she could muster, trying to look shamelessly happy yet still a tad timid and embarrassed. She took his hand and stood, gazing into his crystal eyes with what she hoped was admiration. Their silent display of affection was sure to attract the attention of at least one Slytherin, which would then spread through the Hall like wildfire. A blush rose in Ginny's pale cheeks when she felt all eyes on her and Draco. He leaned down slowly and whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her skin as he spoke.

"You're blushing. That will certainly work in our favor."

"I'm sure they'll all think it's because of your irresistible charm." She whispered back to him.

He smiled at her and started for the exit, leading her along at his side. She wasn't watching faces in the crowd, but she knew they were all watching the two of them because a dead silence fell over the Hall. Everyone wanted to know what was going to happen, whether or not the rumors were true.

_This had better work…I do __**not**__ want to have to try again tomorrow. Being in front of the whole school once is bad enough!_

Once they reached the door they both stopped and faced one another. Draco released her hand but slid his arms around her waist instead. She smiled up at him and placed her arms on his shoulders. They stayed that way for a moment; Draco moved first, he moved his hand to her cheek and tilted her head back slightly before leaning in for a kiss. She should have made herself look more willing, like she knew he was about to kiss her and wanted it to happen, like it had already happened a million times before. But she simply couldn't move. She couldn't make herself lean up and meet his lips halfway. Her heart was pounding, her blood was rushing into her cheeks, and she was frozen in anticipation. But…why?

She hadn't the slightest idea. All she knew was that when Draco leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, it felt like a jolt of electricity had passed between them. Every nerve in her body was on edge, taking in every small detail of his touch, his scent. Her eyes fluttered closed. She felt dizzy, as though she were intoxicated, or lacking oxygen, or both. She was confused to no end. When she finally regained some fraction of control over herself, she realized she needed to kiss him back or their attempt would fail. She moved her lips with his, kissing him back as slowly as he was kissing her. When he was fully satisfied that they had been convincing enough, they broke apart and he took both of her hands into his, his eyes locked on hers. He brought her hands together and lightly brushed his lips against her knuckles before releasing her and turning to leave.

The moment he let go, it felt as if someone had opened a window. All the air in the room was suddenly hers to breathe. She turned and walked away from the door and down a hall as quickly as she could without looking like she was running away. Ginny ducked inside an empty classroom as soon as she was far enough from all the commotion and excited whispers that broke out in the Great Hall. She slammed the door behind her and leaned up against it, her breathing coming out in uneven spurts.

_What in the name of Merlin just happened? I've kissed Draco twice before and it felt __**nothing**__ like that. Worst of all, the entire student body was there to witness it! Wait…is that what was different this time? Was it so…different…because he was actually trying? For the good of the show?_

She thought back to the first time they kissed, when she nearly jumped him on the train to get rid of Harry. That was all a rouse too. Or perhaps she'd just been paying too much attention to Harry's looming presence that she didn't even try to feel anything with Draco. Or, as she called him then, Malfoy.

Their second kiss had been a complete accident. It was entirely unintentional. They had been studying and Ginny lurched into her entire life story. She had been tracing the Dark Mark on his forearm, she couldn't help it, and the energy it gave off was just too fascinating. As soon as she placed a finger on the Mark it felt as though she had been jolted, just like in their third kiss in front of the Great Hall. They had both been surprised by the first jolt. Whatever emotion that spark elicited from them drove them headlong into a snogging session that only stopped from going any farther because of Pansy banging down the door. All logic and reason were thrown out the window. Draco blamed himself for that, and promised it wouldn't happen again. But if he felt anything like what she just felt, then there was no chance he didn't feel it again just now. His mask of deceit is simply better than hers. And here she thought she had mastered that ability.

_I'll have to work on that…I won't let that happen again. Clearly, there's something wrong with me…_

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**A/N: **Like it? Don't like it? Review!


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